Tea timeline
Key dates in the history of tea Early, up to 16th century *2737 BCE According to legend, Chinese Emperor Shennong discovers tea. *760 Tang Dynast writer Lu Yu (陸羽) (729-804) publishes 'Cha Jing' (茶經) the first tea book. *1269 'Pictorial of Tea Ware' (茶具图赞) compiled by Shenan (审安老人). *1597 First mention of tea in English. 17th and 18th centuries *1601 English East India Company founded. *1610 Dutch East India Company market tea. *1657 Tea sold at Garaway's Coffee House, London. *1664 The English East India Company present Charles II with some tea. *1680 Addition of milk to tea in Europe was first mentioned, by the epistolist Madame de Sévigné *1679 First of the London Tea Auctions held. *1706 Twinings founded. *1744 First attempt at tea cultivation in the United States. *1750 Tea production began in the Azores, Portugal. *1772 Tea first successfully cultivated in the United States. *1773 The Boston Tea Party protesting taxes on tea: leads to the development of the Boston Tea Company. *1799 French botanist Francois Andre Michaux, brought the Camellia sinensis plant to the United States and gave it to Henry Middleton. 19th century *Dutch East India Company declared bankrupt. *1812 Andrew Melrose founded Melrose's tea company. *1822 The Tetley brothers started in business. *1826 Dutch introduced tea cultivation in Java. *Tea planting in the Indian district of Darjeeling had begun Dr. Campbell, a civil surgeon of the Indian Medical Service. Campbell was transferred to Darjeeling in 1839 and used seeds from China to begin experimental tea planting, a practice he and others continued during the 1840s. The government also established tea nurseries during that period. Commercial development began during the 1850s *February 1854 Planters' Association of Ceylon originated. *1856 Joseph Tetley & Company, Wholesale Tea Dealers established. *1863 East India Company started tea production in Nepal *1862 Ladurée tea shop opened in Paris. *1867 Tea first sown in Ceylon/Sri Lanka *1866 James Taylor visited India to learn about tea plantations. *1867 James Taylor established a tea factory at Loolecondera *1869 Cutty Sark clipper built - the last merchant ship to be so built. Coffee-rust destroyed most of the plants in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka): this led to the establishment of the tea industry there. *1872 James Taylor started upon the construction of a larger tea factory in Loolecondera. *1875 James Taylor sent the first consigment of tea to the UK. Yu Quianchen developed Keemun tea *1883 Skilled workers from the Macau Region of China introduced into Portugal. *1891 Nilgiri Planters' Association of South India founded. *1897 The Orchard (tea room) opened. 20th century *1900 Scientific Department of Indian Tea Association (ITA) established. *1903 First patents on tea bags. Indian Tea Cess Bill. Tea Manufacture Experiment Station established - later becoming the Tea Research and Extension Station *1904 First commercial sale of tea bags. Benjamin Ginsberg, Russian immigrant to Southern Africa became interested in Roobois and started its commercial development. *1906 The Book of Tea (茶の本) by Okakura Kakuzō published. *1911 Tocklai Experimental Station established, India. *1924 Mrs Florence Philips, a tea planter's wife smuggled a box of tea seeds out of India and these were planed in Chipinge (Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe): led to the development of the tea industry in the then colony. *1930 PG Tips launched. *1946 Nestle USA introduced the first instant tea, Nestea *1953 Clanwilliam Tea Cooperative established South Africa. *1953 Tea Act India established the Tea Board of India *1954 Rooibos Tea Control Board established. *1958 Rain Flower tea developed. *1964 Tea Research Association TRA established, India, with Tocklai as the centre of activities. *1 January 1976 Sri Lanka Tea Board established. *1977 Tea Ordinance 1977 established the Bangladesh Tea Board. *1984 Museum of Tea Ware founded. *1980 Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, previously known as Lu Yu Tea Art Center founded in Taipei, Taiwan *1987 The Charleston Tea Plantation established in its present form. *1991 Hangzhou National Tea Museum opened. *1992 Museum to commemorate James Taylor built in Ceylon. *1993 Tenfu Tea Museum, China, founded. *1995 Tetley Group created. *1997 Last of the London Tea Auctions held. Ethical Tea Partnership established. *1999 Brooke Bond tea cards ceased production. Tea began to be grown as a commercial crop on the Tregothnan estate is in Cornwall, UK, with the first harvest in 2005. 21st century *2007 Tenfu Tea College established. See also *Tea companies timeline External links *List of dates *Still in the Stream http://www.stillinthestream.com/files/teatimeline.html *Typhoo Tea http://www.typhootea.co.uk/yesterday-timeline.html Category:lists Category:reference